Japan's Largest Airline Pulled This 'Big Nose' TV Ad After Accusations Of Racism

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's largest carrier All Nippon Airways said on Tuesday it was pulling a TV advertisement featuring a Japanese actor in a large false nose and blonde wig after it was criticized online for having racist overtones.

The ad, which is in English with Japanese subtitles, promotes ANA's expanded international flight schedule from Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Japan, host of the 2020 Summer Olympics, is trying to attract more tourists amid a sharp rise in visitors over the last year, particularly from Asia.

In the ad, which began airing on Jan 18, two men in ANA pilot uniforms chat about how they will now be heading off to new destinations such as Hanoi and Vancouver.

"Let's change the image of Japanese!" one says, and turns to his companion, who now wears a large fake nose and a brassy blond wig, in line with Japanese stereotypes about Europeans. "Of course," he replies.